The Ace and the Lion
by RdawgX
Summary: (NEW CHAPTERS FINALLY!)Sequel to the Dream that Became Reality, in which things settle down for Yuna and Tidus--Or so it seems until some strange things start happening. Set two years after the first story
1. Default Chapter

The Ace and the Lion-Prologue:Heart's Content  
  
Hey peeps! I've finally returned from my vacation, and I'm feeling relaxed and refreshed and ready to start writing fanfics again!(among other things). This is the sequel to The Dream that Became Reality, so let me know what you all think of this follow-up. Enjoy!  
  
P.S.-I've planned a special interactive section for this story later on, so keep a lookout for that!  
  
DISCLAIMER: All names and characters associated with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII are property of Squaresoft(well I guess it's Square Enix now)  
  
"Do you Sir Tidus, take Lady Yuna to be your wife?" The Besaid temple preist asked. Tidus nodded and responded. "I do." He said. The minister turned to Yuna. "Do you Lady Yuna take Sir Tidus to be your husband?" He asked of her. She too nodded. "I do." She said. The minister smiled. "Then by the powers bestowed in me by the temple leaders, I pronounce you man and wife." He smiled at Tidus. "You may kiss the bride." Tidus grinned. "It's about time." He said to a chous of laughter. Yuna blushed slightly as he lifted the veil. They kissed at that moment as the people attending cheered. "PARTY TIME!" Someone shouted from the back, and the rest of the people attending cheered and stood up, rushing behind the couple as they left. They climbed onto the machina bike(motorcycle in other words) and rode off towards the dock, waving behind them. Yuna clung to Tidus tightly. "It's so nice that we can finally live together in peace, without having to fight and that I finally have you all to myself." She said from behind him. Tidus nodded slightly. "Yeah, I think I'm all for a life of relaxing. I never really had much time to do that up to this point." He said. She smiled slightly. "Me neither." She stated as they got off the machina bike and walked towards the boat, which was taking them on their honeymoon  
  
***  
  
"How are things looking up here Naida?" Squall Leonheart asked the pilot of Balamb Garden. Naida simply nodded. "Nothing really out of the ordinary, we should be going to land by Balamb for the night and to restock and stuff, so you guys will get a nice night on the town." Squall sighed. The night life really wasn't his style, but he knew he'd be going anyway because...."Squall are you daydreaming again?" A voice called behind him. He turned around and saw his girlfriend, Rinoa Heartilly behind him. She wagged her finger at him. "You shouldn't daydream so much, it's not good." She scolded. Squall smiled slightly. "Whatever." Was his response, a usual for him. She rolled her eyes at him, though as frustrating as he was sometimes, she was glad that he was at least trying to break out of his shell. She walked over and hugged him, which Squall welcomed. He was still getting used to all the attention he was getting, after spending so much time as a solitary person. He really wondered sometimes what he ever saw in doing things himself. "Not too late though, you know how I always like to get up early." He lectured. She waved her hand at him. "Well normally I would accept that but since I already talked to Cid and he said you can have tomorrow off..." She grinned innocently. Squall rolled his eyes. "You're really gonna try and get me to drink aren't you?" He asked rhetorically. She nodded excitedly. "Yup! I'm gonna get Zell to show you how to really drink!" She grabbed his arm. "Come on we gotta go get Selphie and Irvine, we gotta plan where all we're gonna go." She pulled him out the door. Naida just laughed and waved at Squall. "Have fun!"   
  
Author's Note: Holy Crap has it ever been a long time since I've been around here. Hope everyone enjoys this story, but I'm kinda busy with school so I might be a little while in posting so I just thought I'd warn you all now. Anyway thats all for now, so enjoy! 


	2. Chapter 1:Party Time!

The Ace and the Lion: Chapter 1-Party time!  
  
Well here's chapter 1, we'll see where Rinoa dragged poor Squall off to :p  
  
DISCLAIMER:All names and Characters associated with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII belong to Squaresoft(or Square Enix whichever u like.)  
  
"Ok Rinoa, how exactly are we going to go into this bar without getting noticed?" Squall asked. Zell punched him in the shoulder playfully from behind. "Don't worry bout it man there's nothin wrong with being famous! We're all old enough to go in so there's no worries!" He said cheerfully. Irvine nodded. "Yeah man, you can pick up lots of sexy ladies!" Rinoa turned and glared at him and Selphie kicked him the back of the leg. "What? I said Squall!" He protested. Quistis rolled her eyes. "Alright children act your age we're almost there." In her best motherly voice. "Yes mom." Zell said sarcastically.   
  
***  
  
"Morning Tidus." Yuna said from beside him. Tidus opened one eye and turned to her. He smiled as he looked at her. "Oh, morning." He smiled sleepily. She grinned slightly. "Did you sleep well?" She asked rhetorically. Tidus laughed. "Not when I was so busy, I never had time." He said. She smiled now and laid on her back. "I'm so happy to be here with you, I never thought I'd get to enjoy a moment like this with you ever again." She gushed. Tidus slid over and put his arm around her. "I always knew I would find some way back to you no matter what." He kissed her quick and then jumped out of bed. "Come on, I'll go make breakfast." He said as he walked out. Yuna started laughing. "Uh...Tidus?" He turned around. "What's up?" He asked, unknown to him that he had no clothes on. She laughed and pointed at him. "You might want to put some clothes on." She said. Tidus waved his hand at her. "Why? It's just us here." And with that he walked out.  
  
***  
  
"YEEEEEEE-HAWWWWWWW!!!!!" Rinoa yelled in the middle of the dance floor. Squall looked at her nervously and put his hand over her mouth. "You're gonna get us in trouble." He tried to keep her quiet. She laughed at him and pushed his hand off her mouth. "We're in a bar dumbass, we won't get in trouble." She said, half drunk. She looked at his eyes softly. "Look Squall, I know you're not comfortable here, but could you at least try and relax a little? You're way too tense." She rubbed his shoulders a little. Squall relaxed slightly and started dancing with her. Zell watched from the corner and gave him a thubs up and Irvine made a sexual gesture with his hand, to which Squall gave them both the finger. Quistis sat in the corner just watching her friends dancing till Zell grabbed her arm and yanked her out to the dance floor and finally Irvine and Selphie joined in. Squall laughed to himself at his friends antics. Rinoa looked at his face. "What's so funny Squall?" Squall laughed a little harder at the look of puzzlement on her face. "Don't worry about it." He smiled.  
  
***  
  
"Ya know, this is the first time I've ever eaten breakfast naked." Yuna said. Tidus laughed. "Really? I'd never guess." He replied sarcastically. Yuna laughed and reached over to pinch his leg. Tidus laughed and shoved her hand away. "Don't mess with me Yuna, you'll be sorry." He warned. She laughed at him and reached over again. "I'll take my chances." He grabbed her hand this time and looked at her with an evil grin. "Now you're gonna get it."   
  
***  
  
"Wow Rinoa, that was actually pretty fun." Squall said, half dragging Rinoa out the door. "It was...but we didn't get you to drink." She slurred in her drunkeness. Zell walked out the door too."Aw come on Quistis, I swear i didn't mean to grab your--" She glared at him as she cut him off. Irvine heard this and came over right away. "What did you grab?" Zell leaned over and whispered in her ears. Irvine laughed hysterically and almost fell over. "Oh my God! I can't believe you grabbed her bo--" Selphie put her hand over Irvine's mouth. "I think that's enough bad words for tonight Mr.Cowboy." She said to Irvine. Suddenly they noticed Squall and Rinoa stopped. "What the hell is that?!" Zell yelled as a red portal opened in front of them. Squall turned Rinoa in front of him and turned his back to the portal to try and protect her, but he was getting dragged in. "Squall!" Rinoa yelled as she grabbed his hand. "Quick you guys, help me!" Rnoa screamed, suddenly sober. Tthe others all rushed forward and grabbed Squall's hand, and he tried to get out, but it was too strong and he got pulled in while the others fell down. "Shit! We lost him!" Zell punched his fist into the ground. Rinoa scowled and got up. "No, not yet." She said as she lept through it before anyone could stop her. "Damnit! Now what are we gonna do?" Zell said with anger. Quistis walked up behind him and shoved him in. "What else?" She jumped into the portal after him. "Well I guess it's just you and me Selph." Irvine said. Selphie nodded. "Yup, but we're going now." She lept in. Irvine rolled his eyes at this and started walking away. "No way am I getting in trouble again. Forget it!" He said as he was going away. Suddenly Selphie's arm shot out of the portal and pulled him in too.  
  
Author's Note: Oh the Suspense! Where are they headed to? And what's going on with Tidus and Yuna? You'll see soon. ^__^ 


	3. Chapter 2:Bad Timing

The Ace and The Lion:Chapter 3-Bad Timing  
  
DISCLAIMER:All names and characters associated with final   
  
Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII belong to SquareSoft.  
  
"Tidus, s-stop that!" Yuna cried between giggles. Tidus just continued. "I told you I'd let you have it for pinching me!" Yuna laughed louder as he tickled her faster, but finally she got her feet up and poked him in the stomach till he rolled away. They both sat on the floor, looking at each other stupidly for a while, and finally started laughing again. "Well I guess we should go get dressed hey?" Yuna said. Tidus stood up and nodded. "Yeah might as well." They started walking around the corner when suddenly there was a red glow behind them. Tidus turned around quickly and looked at a red portal form behind them. His eyes went wide and he quickly pushed Yuna around the corner so she wouldn't get harmed by whatever was in there. He stood his ground and waited for a minute and when nothing happened he started towards it. "Tidus! Don't go near it! We don't know what's in there!" Yuna protested. Tidus stopped. "Ok fine, go get me my sword then." Yuna opened her mouth to protest. "Just do it, ok?" He cut her off. She closed her mouth and ran off to their room to grab his sword. She slid the sword across the floor towards him and hid behind the corner, peeking around to see what was going on. Tidus walked slowly towards the portal, and cautiously touched it with his fingertips. He noticed nothing happened, so he put his arm through....and saw it come out the other side. He frowned and looked at his arm, seeing that nothing happened to it. He shrugged and turned to Yuna. "That's weird. Maybe it's just one of those funny weather systems or something..." His voice trailed off when he heard screams coming from inside the portal. He turned around and looked. "What the he--" He started but didn't finish as Squall came flying through and crashed into him. Squall quickly sprang up, gunblade in hand, when he saw Tidus. "Tidus! What are you doing here?" He asked, then he noticed that Tidus was naked. "And...why are you naked?" He asked, stating the obvious. Tidus put his sword in front of him to cover him, as his face turned bright red. "Well, this is where I'm spending my honeymoon with my wife, cuz I just got married." He explained. Squall's eyes widened. "You serious? Holy crap I never thought I'd see that happen, since you were always such a whiny brat." He joked. Tidus looked shocked for a second. "I dunno about you, but i coulda swore I just heard you make a joke! What's up with you?" He asked. Squall shrugged. "Long story. Funny how things change eh?" Tidus nodded. You're not kidding." He looked behind him, trying to see if the portal was still there. "How did you get here? Were you by yourself?" He asked. Squall turned and looked behind him, trying to see if his friends were coming through, but saw nothing so he turned around again. "Well, my friends and I were at this..." He paused for a minute, "...Bar and we were just going home when this portal opened up in front of us, and here I am." He explained. Tidus nodded. "Well, I guess I'll go get dressed, then we'll see what's going on." Tidus walked around the corner and called out: "It's ok Yuna, it's just my cousin Squall, you can come out from around that corner!" He continued walking away after that. Yuna peeked around the corner and saw this strange man in a leather jacket and a huge scar on his nose. "Hi." He said as he waved. Yuna's jaw dropped as she saw him extend his hand out to her. "I'm Squall."  
  
***  
  
"Wow Tidus, your cousin sure is a gentleman, he even turned around and didn't look at me walking back to the room." She said. Tidus just nodded. "Yeah, well I guess that's what going to a military school does for ya." He explained. She pinched him on the side as he walked by. "Why couldn't you be such a gentleman like that?" She joked. Tidus grimaced as he grabbed his sore side and faked pain. "Because you keep pinching me!" He shot back. She shrugged slightly at that. "Yeah, I guess you have a point....but that doesn't mean I'm going to quit." She laughed.   
  
***  
  
After getting dressed and getting Squall to explain everything he knew up to this point, Tidus sat up and stretched. "Well, I think it would be a good idea to look for your friends first of all, to make sure they're all here and stuff like that." He said. Squall looked at him. "Sounds good, but let me see that sword you got there. It looks really neat." He said. Tidus walked over and grabbed his sword off the floor in his bedroom, which was on the floor beside Yuna's guns. He brought it back to Squall and let him look at it. "Wow, this is some kinda weird material isn't it?" He asked as he looked at the Brotherhood. Tidus shrugged. "Dunno, but it's a good sword. My friend Wakka gave it it me shortly after I got here." He said. "It used to be his brother's....before he died." He said softly. Squall nodded. "Well I guess the circumstances weren't too great, but it's still a great sword." He said. Tidus looked at the gunblade strapped to Squall's back. "Hey can I look at yours now? It doesn't look like the same gunblade I saw that you had last time." He said. Squall rolled his eyes. "You do realize that I last saw you when we were both like 8 years old?" He said sarcastically. Yuna giggled as Tidus scratched his head. "Oh yeah....can I still look at it?" He asked again. Squall shook his head and handed it over to him. Tidus looked intently at the sword. "Wow, this one's cool!" He just then noticed the inscription on the side. "What's this funny language on the side?" He asked. Squall smiled. "It's Latin, and it says Lionheart." He explained. Tidus pointed the gunblade at a tree and started prancing around. "Oh yeah, you wanna piece of this? Huh? I'm gonna cut you up real good. Yeah, that's right." He said mockingly to the tree. Just then he accidently pulled the trigger on the gunblade and got blown backwards onto his back. He sat up quickly and looked in shock at what he did. Squall and Yuna were both laughing hysterically at Tidus' antics. He looked at the gunblade, and then at the tree, noticing the huge gaping hole in the tree. "Wow....you really have gotten a better one didn't you?" He stated. Squall nodded and took his sword back. "Well, that's enough fun and games for now, I really have to find my friends." He said. Tidus motioned with his hand. "Right! Let's go!" He yelled as he started to walk off with Squall. Yuna ran into the house and grabbed her guns. "Wait for me! Hey! You can't leave without me! Tidus I'm seriously gonna pinch you this time!" She yelled as she ran after them.  
  
Author's Note: Well there's chapter 2, hope you enjoyed it, it's been a little while coming, but oh well. So i guess that's it for me for now so see ya later! 


	4. Chapter 3:It's Rikku!

The Ace and the Lion Chapter 3:The Search  
  
Well, it seems that nobody's interested in this story which really sucks :(  
  
If nobody responds after this chapter then I guess I'm gonna have to do what I was hoping I wouldn't have to...which would be to stop this story and remove it and forget it ever happened. I'm begging you all, I really love this story and I hate to stop something that I've already started. Please don't force me to end it like this!  
  
Anyways enough begging and pleading, here comes the next chapter. You guys decide whether its the last one or not.  
  
DISCLAIMER:All characters and names associated with Final Fantasy X and VIII belong to SquareSoft.  
  
"Well, since we haven't been able to find them in the immediate area, I think we should probably use the airship and go get Rikku to help us." Tidus said. Yuna nodded and Squall scratched his head. "Who's Rikku?" He turned to Tidus. Tidus pointed at Yuna. "My best friend and Yuna's cousin, she's an Al Bhed." He explained. Squall nodded. He had heard of the Al Bhed but had never met one yet. "So how are we gonna get to Luca?" Tidus asked. Yuna smiled and reached into her shirt. "I came prepared." She grinned as she pulled out a little beacon and she pushed the button on the top of it. A red light started flashing on the top and it made a beeping noise. "What was the point of that?" Tidus asked. "It's a beacon for the airship, so the closest airship in the area can come get me." She explained. "Being a High Summoner has it's advantages." She added. Squall was impressed. "Wait a minute....I heard of you destrying Sin...but I've never heard of a living High Summoner. That's amazing! You should meet my girlfriend Rinoa, she's a Sorceress." He said, impressed by Yuna's title. Yuna's eyes went wide. "Really? How did that happen?" She asked. Tidus laughed a little. "Yeah, how did you manage to get her to go out with you without scaring her away with your military training and all that serious stuff?" He joked. Squall glared at him but decided to ignore the comment. "It's a long story, I'll explain when I find my friends." He said. Just then an airship zoomed overhead, and Yuna waved her arms.  
  
***  
  
A few hours later, they were landing on Bikanel Island, about a mile away from the rebuilt Al Bhed Home. Yuna smiled at the sight of the island. Tidus looked at her, surprised. "How can you smile about all this sun and sand?" He asked. She rolled her eyes at him. "It's not all this I'm happy about, I'm just happyI'll get to see Rikku again." She explained. Tidus laughed. "Oh, you scared me there for a second." They started walking towards Home in good spirits. They came to the top of a hill, and looked out towards Home. They could see someone standing a little ways away, holding something in his hands. "Hey it's Sudit!" Tidus exclaimed as he started waving his hands and calling him. Sudit turned and looked at them standing on the hill. An evil grin spread over his face as he turned. Squall squinted, trying to see through the bright sun. "What's that he's holding?" He wondered aloud. Yuna squinted too. "Not what...who?" She corrected. Tidus stopped waving and looked too. All the color in his face drained and a look of fear came over him. "Oh no....it's Rikku!" He cried. Yuna and Squall turned to look at him. "What? You've got to be kidding!" Yuna exclaimed. Tidus' face turned to a scowl and he pulled out his sword. "I'll kill that son of a bitch!" He screamed as he started running down the hill. Sudit saw him and threw Rikku aside. He turned and faced the three of them as they ran down the hill towards him. He balled up his hands and a blue glow came over them. He raised them out in front of him and unballed them. They all stopped running and looked at it. "What the hell is that?" Squall exclaimed. Just then the balls hit them and they were knocked backwards and into the hill, where everything went black.  
  
***  
  
Tidus opened his eyes slowly, and looked around him. "Squall? Yuna? You guys alright?" He asked. They were still out cold so after he checked on them, he got up. He looked around, noticing that they were in the same area, but thought something was different. He looked around for Rikku....but instead found the charred and burning remins of Home. "No....Not again! How could he do this?" He cried angrily. He started running towards it to see if he could find anybody in there, but as he ran, he found Rikku laying on the ground, battered and bruised. "Rikku!" He yelled as he ran to her. He took her head in his arms and looked at her face. "Rikku? Are you ok? Speak to me!" He paniced. She moved her head a little and opened her eyes. "T...Tidus? Is that....you...?" She asked weakly . Tidus nodded. "It's ok, I'm here! What happened?" He asked. She tried to sit up at this point and Tidus helped her up. She sat on the ground and Tidus sat beside her. "Sudit...asked me if I wanted to take a walk with him, so we went out and he started beating me....I was too shocked to even defend myself. I'm surprised that I'm even alive." She explained. Tidus looked at her seriously. "Why did he do this? What's his problem?" He asked. Rikku looked at the ground. "I shouldn't have gone with him, I could see something was wrong, just by his eyes." She said softly. "Now my dad, my brother....everybody's gone." She started crying now. Tidus leaned over and hugged her tight. "It's ok Rikku, we'll get him for this. We gotta get you out of here." He said. Rikku continued to sob. "I loved him Tidus! I loved him and this is what he did to me!" She cried on his shoulder. Tidus pulled her away gently and picked her up, holding her in his arms. "It's ok now, I'm here for you Rikku. You're safe with me. I won't let him get away with this, I promise." She sobbed slightly still as she put her arms around his neck and rested on his shoulder. Just at this point Squall and Yuna walked up. "Rikku! What happened?" Yuna yelled. "Did that Sudit guy do this?" Squall asked. Tidus nodded. "Let her rest guys, we'll get her to explain everything later."  
  
***  
  
They took her back to the airship and started back for Besaid, cutting the honeymoon short just to make sure everyone was alright. "Why do we always have to fight?" Yuna asked. Squall had gone to bed and Rikku was being tended to by one of the crewmen. Tidus shrugged. "I don't really know, Yuna. I wish we could just live in peace." He said. They both stood on the deck and looked out at the moon. Yuna lowered her head and stared glumly at the floor. Tidus walked over to her and put his arm around her. "As long as we have each other, fighting or not, then we'll be ok." He said to her. She looked up. "I know, but I hate to see the ones we love getting hurt around us, you know?" She said. Tidus nodded and looked out at the moon again. "I know....I promise I'll get Sudit for this." He said angrily, making fists in rage. Yuna calmly put her hand over his, which relaxed him instantly. "Please Tidus, maybe it's not his fault, we don't know for certain." She pleaded. Tidus sighed. "Maybe you're right. I guess we'll just have to see." He said reluctantly. They both stood in silence again, just looked at each other. Tidus pulled Yuna closer to him. "Don't let me go." Yuna said soflty. Tidus sighed. "I'll never let you ago again, I promise." He said as he stroked her hair gently.  
  
***  
  
Later on, they both headed to their rooms to get some rest and to think of what had happened during the day. "I'm going to check on Rikku for a minute. She probably really needs someone right now." Tidus said. Yuna nodded. "Ok Tidus." She murmered as she drifted of to sleep. Tidus nodded and walked out into the hall. He walked past Squall's room and noticed that his door was open. He peeked inside and saw Squall sitting on his bed, looking at the floor. Tidus walked in and put his hand on the doorway. "Hey." He said softly. Squall looked up. "Hi Tidus." Squall said sadly. "Homesick?" He asked. Squall nodded a bit. "I miss my friends." He said. Tidus nodded. "I know how you feel. It really sucks when you're all alone." He agreed. Squall looked at him. "How's that Rikku girl doing?" He asked, concerned. "I'm going to see her now, she's really feeling bad I think, considering what's all happened to her." He said grimly. Squall looked at the floor again. "Who's that Sudit guy, Tidus? He looks kind of like you." He asked. Tidus looked away for a second, ashamed to even know him at this point. "I'll explain it some other time, I gotta go see Rikku." He said. "Goodnight Squall." He said as he walked out. "Yeah, night Tidus." He replied, wondering why he dodged the Sudit question.  
  
***  
  
Tidus peeked into Rikku's room. He saw that she had her back to him and she was crying softly. He walked over to her bed and crawled in. Rikku got scared and yelped in surprise. Tidus put his arms around her. "Shhh, it's just me Rikku." He said. She turned around to face him. He saw that she had been cleaned up, with bandages on her stomach and a small one on her cheek, but there were ugly bruises under her left eye and her cheek and on her stomach. "What are you doing here, what will Yuna...." Tidus put his finger on her lips. "She knows, I'm just here to stay with you for awhile." He explained. She leaned on her arm and looked at him. "Thank you Tidus, you've always been there for me." Her eyes seemed to sparkle again. "That's what friends are for." He said as he hugged her close. "I'm so sorry about Home, Rikku. I wish I could've got to it sooner..." He trailed off. Rikku shook her head sadly. "He's so strong...I dunno if you could've really done anything." She replied. Tidus sighed, realizing that she was right. They both lay there in silence for a minute when finally Rikku turned and looked at him. "Tidus?" She spoke up finally. "Yeah?" He replied. "Could you stay with me tonight? I just really need someone to be with me." She asked softly. Tidus turned and looked at her. "Sure thing, Rikku. I'll be here." He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Get some sleep, ok?" He wrapped his arms around her and she slowly drifted off to sleep. "Tidus is she ok?" Yuna walked in just then. Tidus looked at her standing in the doorway. "Yeah, but she's taking it really hard." He said grimly. Yuna nodded. "You should probably stay here, she needs you." She said. Tidus nodded. "Are you sure?" He asked worredly. She nodded and smiled a little. "Yeah, it's ok. Good night Tidus." She said as she walked out. "Yuna!" He called out to her. She stopped and turned around. "I love you." He said. She smiled at him and blew a kiss at him. "I love you too." And walked out of the room.  
  
***  
  
"Ok Zell, if you mention hot dogs one more time, I swear I'm gonna put this gun to your head and--" Irvine got cut off by Zell "--Shoot out hotdogs?" He retorted sarcastically. Irvine balled up his hands and growled with rage. "Zell, I think instead of looking for food I'm gonna eat you!" He snarled. Zell pinched his arm. "No point in that, no fat on me." He retorted. "Shut up you two, we seriously gotta find some food!" Quistis snapped at them. They both shut up and sat in silence. "Where's Rinoa? We should go get her so we can get moving." Quistis said. Zell got up quickly. "I'll go find her, she told me she was goin for a walk to find some food." He ran off into the woods. Irvine got up too and walked over to Selphie. "Well, since it looks like we're gonna starve to death, we might as well make use of our last days together, right Selph?" He winked at her. Selphie rolled her eyes at him. "Irvy, this isn't really the time, we're gonna get outta this! Don't be such a pervert, that's super gross!" She shoved him away. Irvine sagged his shoulders and went back to his spot. Just then Zell cme back with Rinoa. She walked with her head down and a sad look on her face. "How are you doing Rinoa?" Quistis asked, although she could already tell. Rinoa shrugged slightly. "I miss Squall so much. I just wish I knew that he was ok." She said. Zell waved his hand. "Hey, don't worry, Squall's the man, he'll be alright." He tried to cheer her up, but it didn't really seem to work. "I know...but I still miss him." She complained. Quistis got up and brushed herself off. "Well, we better get going, maybe we'll run into Squall or something." She said as she started walking off towards the trees again. Everyone began to leave, but Rinoa stayed behind for a minute. She looked up at the sky in sadness and thought about Squall. "Please Squall....please be alright. I'll find you soon, I promise." She said softly. "Rinoa, let's go!" Quistis yelled from ahead. Rinoa broke into a run and followed.  
  
Author's Note:Here it is, what could possibly be the last chapter. Don't make it so, review it and prove to me that there's actually someone interested in this story. 


	5. Chapter 4:Back to Besaid

The Ace and the Lion: Chapter 4-Back to Besaid  
  
Well I've decided that I'm not quitting at this point, so the story will go on.   
  
DISCLAIMER:All names and characters associated with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII belong to SquareSoft.  
  
Tidus stirred as he felt sunlight come pouring in throught the window. He opened his eyes and looked beside him, finding Rikku sleeping peacefully. He smiled a little, happy that she was finally getting some much needed rest. He quietly creeped out of bed, careful not to wake her up, and snuck out of the room. He walked down the hall towards the room he shared with Yuna and popped the door open. Yuna was also sleeping peacefully, but Tidus had no intentions of leaving her sleep, unlike Rikku. Grinning mischeviously, he ran towards the bed and leaped through the air, landing on the bed with a thud. Yuna sat up quickly and was about to scream, when Tidus put his hand over her mouth. "What are you doing, Tidus? Have you lost your mind?" She asked as she slapped him on the arm. Tidus was nearly dobled over with laughter. "I really enjoyed that you know." Yuna pouted slightly. "Well I didn't, I was having a nice dream." He kissed her on the cheek and put his hand on her shoulder. "Feel better now?" He asked. She smiled now. "Yeah, I guess I do." She replied. They both quickly dressed and walked out down the hall. They stopped at Rikku's room and peeked inside. They saw that now she was tossing and turning, seeming to have a bad dream. Tidus looked at Yuna and they both walked towards her bed. Yuna sat at the foot of the bed as Tidus reached out to wake her. Yuna grabbed his hand and put a finger to her lips. "Don't wake her, you'll scare her." She hissed at him. He mouthed a sorry and moved away. "No....Sudit let me go....." She murmed in her sleep. "Don't hit me....stop it!" She cried out. Finally she sat up, breathing heavily. She saw Tidus and Yuna sitting at the foot of her bed, looking at her in worry. She hid her face in her hands and started crying. Tidus put his arms around her and comforted her. "It's ok, Rikku. It was just a dream, you're alright now." He soothed. He let her go and turned to Yuna. "Maybe you should stay and be with her for a minute, I gotta go get Squall. Come out whenever you're ready." He said to her. She nodded and went back to Rikku, holding her close as Tidus walked out the door.  
  
***  
  
Tidus walked down the hall, shaking his head in disgust at Sudit. "I swear he's gonna pay for this. How could anybody do this to her? Rikku's such a good person, why would anybody want to hurt her like this?" He asked himself. He looked in Squall's room and found it empty. The bed was made and everything was neat. "Looking for me?" a voice said from behind him. Tidus quickly spun around and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Squall. "Yeah, I was looking for you. Did you sleep at all yesterday?" He asked with amazement. Squall shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm an early riser." He explained. Tidus shook his head. "Wow, that military training has really changed you man." He said with a bit of sadness in his voice. Squall smiled slightly. "Change is nothing new for me. I've had so much change in my life....mostly because of Rinoa." He said as he looked at the floor. Tidus scratched the back of his head. "You miss her, and it's bothering you, right?" He asked rhetorically. Squall looked up at him. "Is it that obvious?" He asked with a concerned look. Tidus nodded. "I know how you feel, it's tough." Squall nodded in agreement. "I just wish I knew where she is, whether she's ok or not, stuff like that....but all I've got is hope." He said sadly. Tidus punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Sometimes, you just gotta go on that, whether you want to or not. It's better than nothing, ya know?" He said. Squall smiled slightly. "Yeah, you're right I guess. I hope I find her soon. Thanks Tidus, that really helped me." He thanked Tidus. "Yeah no problem, let's go get some food already!" He whined impatiently. Squall laughed. "You know, despite all these changes, some things never seem to change." Tidus thought about it for a minute as Squall walked down the hall. "HEY!" He yelled as he finally caught on, running after him.  
  
***  
  
"I wonder where we are now?" Zell asked. Irvine looked around. "I dunno, I hope we're getting close to some people." He said worredly. "Hey look, a village!" Rinoa called from up ahead. They all ran towards her and looked out past the palm trees. They could see a small village with huts and people walking in and out of them. "Alright! Food time!" Zell yelled as he started running towards the village. "Zell, wait up!" Irvine called. The girls looked at each other and all sighed, as they walked to catch up to their excited friends. A bunch of villagers walked out as Zell and Irvine approached. "Who are you? What do you want from us?" One villager asked. Zell opened his mouth to speak but Quistis put her hand over his mouth and shoved him out of the way. "Well, we got lost around here and we came to ask for some directions and some food if that's no problem." She asked nicely. "Ay, what's all the commotion about, ya?" A accented voice asked. They all looked over and saw a man with orange hair with a huge wave in the front wearing a yellow uniform and holding a blue and white ball in his hand. Right beside him was a angry looking woman, holding a baby in her arms. She had black hair, and one eye was covered by it and she wore a long black dress. However, something bothered Rinoa, as she noticed that her hands were glowing red. Being a sorceress, she knew that this meant she was preparing a fire spell of some sort. At this point, Quistis noticed too and she smiled nervously. "Um, hi, I'm Quistis Trepe, I'm an instructor at Balamb Garden." She introduced herself with a faltering smile. Wakka's eyes lit up for a second. "THE Balamb Garden? I never thought it was for real. Wow that's pretty cool, eh Lulu?" He smiled poking the woman beside him in the arm. She turned and glared at him, causing him to stop smiling and calm down. "Yes Wakka, it's great." She acknowledged. She cancelled the spell and the group breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's get you people some food, ya? You must be starvin, unless you were eatin some of those condors out there, those are good eatin's, ya?" Wakka said excitedly. Lulu rolled her eyes and walked back inside.   
  
***  
  
"Wow these are pretty good burgers Wakka." Irivine said impressed. Rinoa made a face and passed hers to Zell. "I'm a vegetarian, I can't eat this stuff." She said disgustedly as she watched Zell gobble that one down. "Uh...Zell, I think you've had enough." Quistis cautioned him. He waved his hand and just kept eating. "That was only my fifth one! Gimme a break!" He protested, waving his hands at her. "Zell your gonna be soooo sick after this!" Selphie said with a giggle. Zell chose to ignore the comments and kept eating. Suddenly, a villager ran into Wakka and Lulu's hut. "Wakka! Lulu! Come quick, it's Sudit and he's gone nuts!" The villager breathed heavily in a panic and ran back out. Wakka looked at Lulu quickly and grabbed his blitzball. "Take Nilika to the neighbor's for now, we gotta go!" He yelled as he ran out of the hut. Everyone else got up and started running except Zell, who clutched his stomach as he ran out. "Ugh....wait up guys......" He murmed above his moaning stomach. Irvine and Quistis stopped and hleped him keep going as Lulu picked up her baby girl and hustled off to the neighbor's house.  
  
***  
  
"Come on guys! We gotta make sure they're ok!" Tidus yelled from ahead as Yuna and Squall trailed from behind. "Don't worry Tidus, nothing's happened yet, it's alright." Yuna replied from behind. He stopped and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for them to catch up. Finally they caught up and Tidus took off again. "Man, I wonder what his problem is?" Squall mumbled. "Shut up you guys I hear someone talking!" Tidus yelled.  
  
***  
  
"Hello there villagers. Having fun today?" Sudit asked mockingly. "What the hell do you want?" Wakka yelled from the back of the crowd. "I don't want anything....except to make life HELL FOR ALL OF YOU!!!" He yelled as he laughed evilly. The crowd backed up a little. "Sudit....why?" A villager asked him. Sudit balled his hands up and threw an energy ball at him, sending him flying nearly towards the temple. His wife and kids ran over to him and checked to see him. Wakka angrily tried to go towards Sudit, but was held back by Lulu and Irvine. "What? You want some too Wakka? I always wanted to get revenge for that blitzball game." He laughed again. "I think it's time to do away with you miserable people for good!" He raised his hands above his head and started to buid a massive energy ball.  
  
***  
  
"Oh shit that's Sudit!" Tidus yelled as he took off towards the entrance of the village, with Squall and Yuna right behind him. He charged at Sudit with a blinding rage and ran faster as he got closer.  
  
***  
  
"NOW DIE!" Sudit yelled as he was bringing his hands down to fire. However, he got interrupted as Tidus ran up from behind and grabbed his arms, causing him to throw the ball into the air. Sudit and Tidus grappled for awhile until Sudit finally threw Tidus over his shoulder into the crowd. "Tidus! Get outta there!" Wakka called. Tidus simply leaped up and pulled out his sword. "You've done enough Sudit! This ends today!" Tidus yelled at him. Sudit simply smirked and materialzed a sword in his hands. "So it does." He put simply. He charged at Tidus and swung the sword, but he ducked and swung at Sudit, who blocked it and tried to drive him back. Tidus pushed back and they got stuck, until finally Sudit kicked Tidus' legs out from under him. He put the sword to his throat and grinned. "Any last words?" He asked cruelly. Suddenly the sword was knocked away and he was clutching his hand, which was bleeding from a blast. A little ways away, Yuna held two smoking guns in her hands, with a hard look on her face. Sudit bent over and picked up the sword again and watched as Tidus scrambled away towards Wakka and Lulu. "You little bitch, how dare you shoot me!" Sudit growled as he lept at Yuna. He prepared to swing the sword at her but Squall came out and blocked the attack with his gunblade. Rinoa's eyes lit up and she moved to the front of the crowd. "SQUALL!" She called out happily. Squall smiled slightly at her but remained concentrated on Sudit. The two began fighting, neither one able to land a blow until finally Squall pulled the trigger on his gunblade and shot Sudit's other hand, forcing him to grimace in pain. Squall slashed the sord again, but Sudit leapt away and floated in the air. "Looks like you guys got me this time, but I promise the result will be different next time. Until then!" He yelled as he flew away in a rage.  
  
***  
  
"Wow, that was really good timing, ya?" Wakka said later that night as everyone sat out in front of the campfire in the town square. Tidus, who was now holding Yuna very close to himself nodded. "Yeah I guess so. Thanks for the help you guys, I was almost gone there." He said with relief in his voice. Squall nodded, who was also holding Rinoa close to himself. "I'm glad I finally found you guys, I thought you guys were goners." He said with equal relief in his voice. Rinoa laughed slightly. "We thought the same for you, but we kept looking." She said happily. So after exchanging stories about everyone's various adventures all over the place, they began to go their seperate ways. "Well, I guess we better decide who's going where now eh?" Zell said. Tidus nodded. "Me and Yuna are going back to the airship and I guess Squall and his friends can come with us cuz there's lots of room up there." Yuna nodded. "We don't want to disturb the baby, so it's probably best to do it that way." She agreed. Lulu smiled slightly. "Thanks, it would be nice to get some sleep for once." She sighed. Wakka chuckled a little. "Well in that case, we better get going then. Night guys!" He called out as he took Lulu's arm and led her back into the house. "Night!" Everyone called back.  
  
***  
  
When everyone finally settled down, Squall and Rinoa went back to their room. Squall quietly shut the door behind him as he came back from talking to Tidus. He saw that Rinoa was already crawling into bed and waiting for him. "What a biitersweet this day has been." She said with a grim look on her face. Squall just about fell on the bed, he was so tired. "I can't believe how strong Tidus is, he was just a whiny brat when I last saw him. He's brave but he takes so many risks." He said. Rinoa laughed and poked him in the ribs. "It's just like you to be so critical of people." Squall smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but seriously." He stuck to his statement. She shrugged. "He really loves Yuna and he's always there for his friends, I can understand why he does things. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same, Squall. I know you too well." She scolded. Squall lowered his head and accepted defeat. She really did know him too well, he decided. They sat in silence for awhile, just enjoying each other's company. "Rinoa, I'm so glad I found you, I don't know what I'd do without you." He said to her lovingly. She smiled and put her hand on his cheek. "I dunno what I'd do without you either. You always keep me in check when I get a little too wild, and you're always there for me." She said in return. Squall leaned over and kissed her tenderly. "Get some sleep, we're going to need it." He said seriously as he wrapped his arms around her, and within seconds they were both asleep.  
  
***  
  
"How are you feeling Rikku?" Tidus asked softly. She smiled brightly. "Good as new! Look, even the bandages are off!" She smiled as she proudly showed him and Yuna. Yuna laughed slightly and patted her hand. "That's good Rikku, as long as you're ready. Take your time, don't rush yourself." She exdplained. Rikku nodded and looked at the floor. "It still hurts me in my heart....but I'll be alright." She said with a weak smile. Tidus wrapped her in a hug and held her close to him. "Always remember, we'll always be with you." He said as he let her go. Yuna wrapped her in a hug too and kissed her on the cheek. "Get some sleep, you still need it." She said as she let her go. Rikku's eyes teared up slightly and she laid down in bed. "Thanks guys, you're all I have left." She said sadly. Tidus scratched the back of his head and walked out with his head lowered "Night Rikku." Yuna waved slightly and closed the door behind her softly. "Sleep tight." She said softly as she went through.  
  
***  
  
They both walked towards their rooms in silence, thinking about the rough state that everyone was in. "Wow, Rikku sure is in rough shape, hey?" Tidus said to Yuna. She nodded and took his hand. "We are all she has left. That's the worst part. Uncle Cid and Brother....all those innocent lives...." She trailed off and shook her head. "We have to be there for her all the time, otherwise she'll never make it." She said seriously. Tidus nodded. "That's for sure. I really hate to see her like this, she's usually so happy and bubbly." He said as he opened the door to their room. She walked in and he closed the door behind them. "What a honeymoon this has been, I thought it was supposed to be relaxed and peaceful?" Tidus said sarcastically. Yuna smiled slightly. "Well, at least we're together. That's all that matters to me." She said as she held him close.  
  
Author's Note: Well this is a long one, I guess maybe to confirm that this story's going to continue,l and I'll feel alot better if I keep going and not stop now. 


	6. Chapter 5:The Plan

The Ace and the Lion-Chapter 5: The Plan  
  
Well, it's been a couple days, so it's about time for another chapter, so thanks to those of you who reviewed, you really make my day :).  
  
DISCLAIMER:All names and characters associated with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII belong to SquareSoft.  
  
"You sure you're not coming you guys? We could really use your help." Yuna pleaded. Wakka shook his head slightly. "Sorry Yuna, me an Lu gotta stay home and take care of the baby, we don't wanna leave her here." He explained. Yuna nodded. "Ok, I understand. Well, I guess we'll see you when we come back." She finished. Wakka smiled. "Good luck!" H waved to her as she went to join the rest of the group. She waved back and ran over to her friends. "Ready?" Tidus asked her. She nodded, but then frowned slightly. "Where's Rikku?" She asked, looking around. "Right here!" A voice called from behind her. Yuna turned and smiled as her cousin waved at her. She ran over and stood in front of all of them. "Well? Let's go!" She chirped eagerly. Tidus motioned with his hand. "Right! Let's go!" He called out too. Squall motioned for the two blondes to calm down, and he started talking. "I think maybe we should sorta figure out what we're going to do about this Sudit guy, and for that to happen, I think that maybe it's time you explained to us who he is, Tidus." Squall said with a piercing look in his eyes. A look of shame and anger crept over Tidus' face at the mention of that name. He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again and sighed. "Alright, fine, but I'll do it in the airship because I don't want anybody else to hear this." He agreed. Squall nodded silently and turned to the rest of them. "Fair enough. Now I think we can go." They all turned to walk onto the ship, with Rikku and Tidus coming last. "Rikku." Tidus said softly. Rikku stopped walking and turned to face him. "Yeah?" Tidus slowly walked up to her and looked seriously into her eyes. "I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for all the pain and suffering that Sudit's caused you, and I wish that I had nothing to do with that. I feel horrible about all of this." He said sincerely. Rikku shook her head. "Don't be, it's not your fault. He came from you, that's about it. He's his own person, and we gotta stop him somehow, before he hurts anybody else." She comforted him. "Yeah, ok. I'm just glad to see you back to yourself, me and Yuna have been really worried about you." He said as he looked at her for any signs of weakness or depression. She didn't show any and simply nodded grimly. "It's been tough, but I'll make it. We Al Bhed are used to facing challenges like this, I'll just take it as another one." She said confidently. "Good." Tidus said with a smile. "Now let's get going." He said as he patted her on the shoulder when he walked by.  
  
***  
  
"Ok Tidus, I think you've kept this whole thing secret long enough, it's time to tell us." Squall said impatiently. Tidus sighed. "Alright, fine. Yuna, Rikku if I forget anything let me know ok?" He asked as he looked at both of them. They both nodded, with Rikku looking at the floor. Tidus took a deep breath and began his story. He told them all about his trip back to Spira from the Farplane, how he fell in love with Rikku, fighting with Wakka, and finally the split. When he was done, he looked expectantly at Squall, who sat and rubbed his chin in thought. "Well?" Tidus finally asked. "What do you think?" Squall sat silent for another moment and finally spoke. "That's an interesting story, and I think there may be a way to weaken him through you." He explained. Everyone started talking around the table. Squall got up and stood beside Tidus. "Ok, this is what I have in mind. Think about it, since they're basically the exact opposites of each other, they will like and dislike opposite things. So all we have to do is find out what Tidus dislikes and it should be the opposite for Sudit. Therefore, we give him things that Tidus likes." He finally stated. Everyone looked at him blankly. "That's crazy!" Zell yelled. "You're gonna make him stronger and then he's gonna kick our asses all the way back to Balamb!" He exclaimed. Quistis nodded. "He's right Squall, what'll happen if it makes him stronger?" Squall just shrugged at his friends coments. "What else do we have to go on?" He asked simply. It was then silent in the room as everyone thought about that. "Wait." Rikku said softly. Everyone turned towards her. "I know what to do." She said grimly. "Rikku, you're not going to...." Yuna started. Rikku just shook her head slowly. "No way Rikku! You can't go back there he'll kill you this time!" Tidus shouted. This time she shrugged, although she knew he was right. "It doesn't matter, as long as I can weaken him. Besides, he might not. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to get through to him and stop him myself." She said optimistically. "So...what exactly are you guys talking about?" Squall said with a confused look on his face. Irvine started laughing and slapped Squall on the back. "Oh, come on man, don't tell me you don't know?" He asked rhetorically. Squall shook his head slowly. "No, as a matter of fact I don't, but it'd be great if someone told me." Rinoa walked over and whispered in his ear. When she was done Squall's jaw dropped. "No....are you serious?" He turned to Rikku. She nodded. "It might just work though." She said. "Besides, maybe it won't get that far." She said with a grin. "Ok guys, we gottta plan this then, let's get to it!" Tidus said loudly.   
  
***  
  
2 days later, they had their plan and were in the process of finding Sudit. Tidus, Yuna, Rinoa and Selphie were all sitting in the lounge room of the airship, discussing what was happening. "I can't believe she'd do that with that guy, that's like, super gross." Selphie said as she made a face. Irvine just happened to walk by at that moment. "You should practice, you know, in case Rikku gets sick or something." He said with a sly grin. Selphie stuck her toungue out at him. "Irvine! Grow up!" She yelled at him as he went down the hall snickering. She rolled her eyes as everyone else laughed. "I can't believe that horny cowboy, like seriously." She said with disgust. "Come on now, we all know you like it." Rinoa said with a grin. Selphie just put her hands up. "Whatever." She looked at Tidus. "What's the matter Tidus, you not feeling too good?" She said with concern. Tidus shook his head. "I'm just worried...she's my best friend, and I don't want anything to happen to her, you know? I know that it's as safe as we could make it but still....." He trailed off. Yuna put her hand on his leg. "Don't worry so much, she's a big girl now, she can take care of herself, trust her." She said soothingly. Tidus looked up at her. "It's not that I don't trust her, it's just that I worry. I can't help it, but I've never really been like this, it's really weird for me." He explained. Now Yuna was starting to worry. If Tidus is already worrying then something must be wrong, Yuna thought to herself. "Don't worry Tidus, we'll all be there, if something goes wrong then we'll get her outta there." Rinoa said calmly. Tidus nodded. "Yeah I guess you guys are right. I think maybe I'm gonna go see how she's doing, I'll catch you guys later." He said as he kissed Yuna when he got up. He walked out of the lounge heading towards the deck. "Wow, you are sooo lucky Yuna, he's so cute and he's such a gentleman, not like stupid Irvine." She said half grumpily. Yuna just laughed, but secretly, she began to worry. "Yeah, he's the best thing to ever happen to me. I never would've made it through on my journey if he wasn't with me." She said. He's really been spending lots of time with Rikku lately....I wonder if....no, they're best friends, they wouldn't be doing anything behind my back....would they? "Yuna? you ok?" Rinoa asked. "You look kinda spaced out." She stated. Yuna shook her head and put on a smile. "Oh, uh, yeah I'm just a little tired that's all. I think I'm gonna go for a nap." She said quickly. She got up and hurried out of the room, leaving Selphie and Rinoa wondering what was with everyone lately.  
  
***  
  
Tidus walked up onto the deck, and sure enough he found Rikku up there. She sat there, looking at the clouds fly by, with her arms wrapped around her knees. "Kinda cold up here, isn't it?" Tidus said as he sat down beside her. She nodded, but didn't say anything. "Are you sure that you still want to go through with this? I mean, it's not really a good thing for you...." She turned to him, and the look on her face stopped hm. It was a look of hard, set Al Bhed determination. "I have to try, if I can get him back, so much the better." She said. Tidus sighed. "I guess there is no stopping you, is there?" He said with a sigh. She shook her head. "No, Tidus. Don't worry about me, I can handle myself." She said irritatedly. Tidus raised his eyebrows a bit. "Wow....jeez I'm sorry....I didn't mean to make you mad. Maybe I should just go...." He trailed off. She shook her head. "No, it's ok. I just wish you would worry a little less." She said. At this point, Yuna had come up onto the deck and was peeking around the corner. So far so good, she thought to herself as she watched. Rikku turned to Tidus, noticing that he had wrapped his arms around himself tightly to try and keep warm. She laughed at him and wrapped her arms around him. "You don't really like the cold do you?" She asked with a laugh. He had to laugh too, and he felt a little warmer from her embrace. "Yeah, I guess I'm not made for this stuff. Zanarkand was always warm, and so was the Farplane." He explained. Oh no, they're hugging now! What's next? Yuna thought to herself. She had seen enough, but just as she turned around she tripped on a water puddle that she hadn't seen before. She hit the deck with a thud and landed on her back. Tidus and Rikku quickly looked behind them and found Yuna laying in a heap on the deck. "Yuna, what're you doing?" Tidus asked. "I've been watching this whole time, what was next, a kiss too?" She asked sarcastically. "I was cold, we were just kidding around, relax." He said as he tried to calm her. "No, why don't you relax?" A voice called from behind. They all turned around and saw Sudit, standing on the deck with a dagger in his hands. "I see you've been looking for me." He said with a grin. "What the hell do you want now?" Tidus asked with a snarl. Sudit laughed at this show of anger and put his hands up innocently. "I didn't even ask yet, relax." He said the last word as he tried to imitate Tidus. Tidus pulled out his sword and his face started turning red. "Are you gonna just stand there and lip me off or are you gonna fight?" He growled. Sudit shook his head. "Oh.....sorry I'd love to but you see I'm a litle busy, but I thought I'd just come and pick up my package." He said sarcastically. "What are you talking about?" Yuna asked as she pulled her guns out. "Why....you of course!" Sudit said as he suddenly threw a dagger at her. Tidus reached out for it and almost caught it, but missed and the dagger hit Yuna in the chest. Amazingly, it didn't cause her to bleed, but instead paralyzed her. "What....What is this? Hey! Put me down! Stop it! Help you guys!" She started screaming and tried to thrash around but couldn't. Suddenly, Squall and Zell came out. "Oh no, he's got Yuna!" Zell yelled. Tidus ran and grabbed Yuna's legs, trying to pull her back down as she started floating in the air. "Sorry Rikku, you just didn't cut it for me." He said simply as he pulled Yuna towards himself. "You will do nicely though." He said to Yuna, who was now scared out of her mind. "Bye for now Tidus, I'll return Yuna when I'm done, don't worry." He said with a laugh as he disappeared. Tidus threw his sword right into the deck in anger and stormed back inside, as everyone watched him scream in agony, pounding his fists on the ground. "That BASTARD!! HOW could he DO this?" He screamed. "I swear I'm gonna kill him! Now it's personal, that's it!" He continued. Everyone just stood in shock and just watched him unleash his rage on the floor.  
  
Author's Note: Well that's that. Lot's of questions I suppose. What is Rikku's plan? What exaclty is Sudit going to do to Yuna? Don't worry folks, all will be revealed next chapter. Until then, you're just gonna have to guess :) 


	7. Chapter 6: One's Loss, Another's Gain

The Ace and the Lion-Chapter 6:One's loss, Another's gain  
  
Well, so far it seems that since I haven't got any reviews in a little while, I'm gonna have to make a backup plan for my interactive section that I've had planned....but it's not for sure. We'll see.  
  
DISCLAIMER: All names and Characters associated with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII belong to Squaresoft  
  
"What do you want from me? What's gotten into you?" Yuna asked Sudit. He simply laughed and got up from his chair and walked over to the spot on the floor where she was sitting. "What? You don't think that I'm better than ever? I'm stronger, I'm smarter. What more do you want?" He asked rhetorically. She frowned and looked at him coldly. "I want to go home, that's what I want." Sudit put his hand on her cheek and looked at her closely. "Oh come on, don't tell me you want to go home to Tidus." He said sarcasitcally. "We're practically the same person....except I'm better." He said matter-of-factly. "What makes you think that?" She asked. "Like I said I'm....." She shook her head and cut her off. "You're trying to destroy the whole world, and you call that better?" She asked. Sudit rolled his eyes at her. "Don't be so stupid, you know that Tidus is exactly the same way, deep inside." He said angrily. Yuna shook her head. "No, that's not true." She said. Sudit stood up and laughed a little. "Oh, but it is. Face it, it's me you want, not him. How can you resist me?" He asked her. "Never! You're sick and twisted, I'll never forgive you for what you did to Rikku!" She spat at him. He sighed and shook his head. "Well, I guess you leave me no choice...." He trailed off as he walked towards her.  
  
***  
  
"Anything at all Cid?" Tidus asked worredly. Cid shook his head grimly. "Nothin. She's vanished into thin air." He said honestly. Tidus nodded sadly and started to walk out. "Don't worry kid, we'll find her. No pea brained Al Bhed wannabe is gonna hurt my neice!" He said with an angry tone. Tidus couldn't help but smile slightly from his enthusiasm, although he could hardly say he shared it. He walked out of the room and almost ran into Rinoa. "Oh, hey Tidus, how are you doing?" She asked with concern. He shrugged. "Not too good, there's no sign of Yuna. I wish I could do something....anything." he said hopelessly. She nodded slightly. "I know how you feel, not being able to do anything about things that bother you. It's tough." She agreed. "Yeah....so what're you up to?" He asked, trying to take his mind off his problems. "Oh, I was just looking for Squall. You seen him anywhere?" She asked. Tidus pointed down the hall where she came from. "He's in the lounge, he told me he's going out on the deck right away." He explained. She put her hand on his shoulder quickly and smiled. "Thanks Tidus, see ya later." She said as she hurried down the hall. Tidus watched her take off and sighed to himself. At least Squall has someone still, he thought to himself sadly. He continued walking down the hall and decided that he would go for a nap, since he didn't really feel up to doing anything else. He collapsed on his bed in the room he had shared with Yuna. "Damn you Sudit....you knew this would hurt me, didn't you?" He thought out loud. He slammed his fist into the pillow and sat there, tears welling up in his eyes. "Why is it always me? These things always happen to me." He said between sobs. "Whatever god is out there....I'm begging you....bring her back to me....please." He said as he buried his head in his hands.  
  
***  
  
"Are you awake Yuna?" Sudit asked gently. She sat up and smiled. "Yeah, I'm awake. That was a good nap." She said cheerfully. Sudit smiled mischeviously. "I'm glad that you finally got some rest. But now that you're up I need you to do me a favor." He said. "What's that?" She asked him. He turned serious and looked at her in the eyes. "I need you to kill Tidus for me. He's decided that he wants to take over the world and try to force himself into power." He said. Yuna's face turned to shock. "How could he do that? Don't worry, I'll stop him." She said confidently. Sudit smiled. "I know you will. I have faith in you." He agreed. This is easier than I thought. I'm gonna get 2 for the price of one, he thought to himself. "Ok, I'll go get ready." She said as she walked off. Sudit smiled contendly, knowing that his plan was starting to take shape. "We'll see who the real one is now, Tidus." He thought aloud.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile at the same time, Squall was sitting with his friends out in the lounge now, just after they had finished supper. "I think that we're gonna have to leave Tidus out of it now and think of something else, he's in no condition to be fighting." Squall said. Zell looked at him with surprise. "Come on man, we're gonna need him, he's still a good fighter!" He protested. "No, Squall's right, he's going to crack when we need him most and that's no good. Give him time, maybe he'll get a little better in a few days." Quistis said optimistically. Rinoa shook her head. "I doubt that, he's really hurt." She added. "Hey, we should try getting Rikku to talk to him! They're good friends!" Selphie exclaimed. Just at this time Tidus walked by. "I dunno if that'll even help." Squall said still. "Maybe so, but we have to try something." Irvine said. Tidus was getting angry. Great, now my cousin isn't even behind me anymore, he thought to himself. I guess I'm on my own, he thought as he stormed off.  
  
***  
  
"Are you ready Yuna?" Sudit asked. She nodded. "You bet!" She replied. Sudit gave her a thumbs up and patted her on the back. "Good luck, the world's in your hands again." He said seriously. She boarded the pirate airship that Sudit had got for her and waved to him as the ship took off.   
  
***  
  
Tidus was now in his room, getting ready to go to the bridge and get a parachute. "I'll show them....I'll show them that I can do this myself." He said to himself as he walked out. But as soon as he opened the door, he ran into Rikku, who was just coming in. "Oh...sorry Rikku, I didn't see you." He apoligized. She smiled slightly. "It's ok, hey can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked him softly. His eyes darted around nervously. "Uh...can it wait? I'm kinda busy." He said nervously. She frowned slighlty as she noticed the bag. "Oh come on, you're not too busy for your best friend are you?" She said as she shoved him back into his room. He stumbled back and she shut the door behind her and put her hands on her hips. "Ok, Tidus, what do you think you're doing?" She asked angrily. He shrugged, not backing down to her angry look. "I'm going to save Yuna myself, since Squall doesn't seem to think that I'm capable." He said firmly. Rikku waved her hands in the air. "You've got to be crazy! You'll get yourself killed! Don't you realize that he's just looking out for you? What's your problem anyway? We'll find her, don't worry." She said, but was surprised by the way it came out. Tidus looked at her shocked. "Don't worry about it? She's your cousin, Rikku! You SHOULD be worried about it. What's YOUR problem?" He shot back. She looked at the floor with embarassment. "I-I didn't mean it that way...." She trailed off. Tidus threw his arms up in frustration. "I don't understand any of you, everyone's retarded around here!" He snapped as he walked out of his room. Tidus stormed off towards the bridge with Rikku right behind him, trying to grab his arm. "Please Tidus, let us help you at least, don't do this!" She pleaded with him. He shook her arm off and kept walking. "If you really care, you'll let me go." He said flatly. She persisted though, even when he got to the bridge. However, just as he was reaching out to hit the panel on the supply closet, Cid ran up to him and grabbed his arm. "Hey Kid! Look at this! We found Yuna!" He said happily. "What?" Rikku and Tidus said at the same time. He simply smiled and pointed towards the view screen. On it, they could see Yuna standing near a bunch of trees far below them. She was waving her arms and looking up at them. "Come on, let's go get her!" Tidus said excitedly. Cid nodded and turned to Brother. "pnehk ran tufh cmuf un E'mm vehecr liddehk dryd sub oui lymm ryen!" He threatened. Brother mumbled something that Cid couldn't hear and proceeded to bring the ship down. Tidus, Rikku, Cid, and Brother all ran out of the bridge area towards the ship's entry port. As they ran by, the others saw them and followed them in curiosity. "What's going on?" Zell asked. Rikku turned her head as she ran and explained. "We found Yuna!" and kept running. When they got there, the door slowly opened, and there stood Yuna. She smiled brightly and waved to them. "Hi Tidus!" She said cheerfully. Tidus dropped his bag and sword and ran over to her. He hugged her tightly and tears welled up in his eyes. "I thought I lost you! I'll never forgive myself for letting you go!" He said as he held her close. She rubbed his back and hugged him back. "It's ok Tidus, I'm here now. I promise he won't take me again." Tidus pulled away for a second. "What did that bastard do to you?" He asked. A concerned look passed over her face for a second, but was gone as soon as it came. "Oh...nothing." She said softly. Tidus raised an eyebrow at her. "No seriously, what happened?" He said slowly starting to burn with rage. She shook her head enthusiastically. "Nothing. He wanted me to tell him things but I wouldn't do anything so he let me go." She explained. Tidus breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, that's good then." He said. However, Squall wasn't so convinced and rubbed his chin in thought. Rinoa poked him in the ribs. "What're you thinking?" She whispered. Squall shook his head. "I can't tell you here, it's something big." he whispered again. "Come on guys, let's go get something to eat, I'm starving!" Zell called from the back. Everyone mumbled some kind of agreement and started heading off towards the dining room, with Tidus and Yuna right behind. Rikku stood farther back and watched. Squall noticed that she was standing there and thinking too. "Rikku, did you notice anything funny about that whole situation?" He asked her. She nodded and frowned a little. "Yeah, she seems....distant. As if she doesn't really care that she's back....." She trailed off. Squall nodded. "I thought something wasn't right, but I wonder what it could be?" He thought aloud. Rinoa rolled her eyes at him. "I'm sure she's fine, don't worry about it, come on, let's go eat." She said impatiently. Squall nodded and started walking. However, Rinoa stopped and pretended to clear her throat. Squall stopped and looked back. "What did I forget?" He asked. Rinoa held her hand out to him. "You're supposed to hold my hand!" She scolded. Squall slapped himself on the forehead. "Yeah, right, I forgot you like to act like your 5 again." He said sarcastically. "Don't be like that, you know I have sorceress powers." She warned. Squall smiled. "I know, but gimme a break for at least trying to be funny." He said. She laughed and grabbed his hand. Rikku stood watching them this whole time and sighed, wondering when she would find someone like that.  
  
Author's Note: Another chapter down, I'm pretty sure you can guess what Sudit did, and what the results of that will be next chapter. Till then.... 


	8. Chapter 7: In My Eyes

The Ace and the Lion-Chapter 7:In My Eyes  
  
Holy crap, it sure has been awhile. How've ya'll been? I've been really busy with school and work and I haven't really touched my computer at all in the last little while, but I'm gonna try and make up for it with some updates here, so thanx to all of you for being so patient.  
  
DISCLAIMER: All names and Characters associated with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII belong to Squaresoft.  
  
"Man, I am totally stuffed!" Zell said as he patted his stomach. Quistis laughed lightly. "How's it feel to actually eat something other than hotdogs for once?" She asked. Zell nodded contentedly. "Not bad actually....I think I may have found an alternative to hotdogs." He said honestly. Yuna stood up and started walking out of the room. "Tidus, could I talk to you for a second, excuse me everyone." She said as she walked out of the room. Everyone looked at Tidus, then at each other. Tidus just shrugged and walked out of the room. Squall nodded his head definetly. "Something is definintly up." Everyone seemmed to nod some sort of agreement. They sat at the table and thought of what could be going on, but waited to see what would happen. Once everyone got lost in their converstaions, Rikku left the table, suddenly concerned that something was going on.  
  
***  
  
"Yuna, honestly, I don't know what you're talking about. Sudit must have done something to you." He said as he tried to reach out to her. She slapped his hand away and pulled the guns out. "Don't touch me or I'll blow those hands off." She threatened. Tidus' eyes went wide. "Yuna....what's gotten into you?" He asked, schocked. She smirked. "I was about to ask you the same question. Why do you want to destroy the world?" She asked. "Tell me, and maybe I won't blow your brains out." She added. Tidus shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe this....I thought you loved me...." He trailed off. She shrugged slightly. "I thought I did too, until I found out what you really are." She shot back. Tidus' shoulders sagged. "Well, in that case, you might as well shoot me, since I have nothing left to live for." He said sadly as he looked deeply into her eyes. She looked stunned for a minute. "I thought you'd never ask!" She exclaimed as she raised the guns and pointed them at his head. However, just as she was about to pull the trigger, Rikku walked in. She put her hands to her mouth and suppresed a scream. Yuna turned her head and her fingers flexed to pull the trigger, but Tidus grabbed her and wrestled her to the bed. They both struggled to take control of the gun, but Tidus eventually slipped off the bed and quickly rose to his knees, but stopped moving, knowing that he was defeated. "First you, then Rikku." She said matter-of-factly. Tidus shook his head in disbelief. "Why Yuna? I love you, Rikku loves you too, she's your cousin! How could you do this?" He asked. "At least tell me that before I die." He said calmly. She lowered the guns a little, and at this moment Rikku leapt at Yuna and drove a dagger into Yuna's back. Her eyes went wide and she slumped to the floor, the guns falling out of her hands. Tidus and Rikku looked on in horror. Yuna lay still on the floor, not breathing either. Rikku sat on the floor and started crying, and Tidus ran over to her and held her, but couldn't hold back the tears himself, so they both sat on the floor crying over the loss of Yuna.  
  
***  
  
"How're they doing?" Squall asked. Everyone else was sitting in the lounge, waiting to hear how Rikku and Tidus were. The Al Bhed crew member in charge of the medical facility simply shook her head. "I don't know if Rikku will be able to rebound from this one." She said in her Al Bhed accent. "Tidus seems to be taking it better....but not too much more. He's sleeping right now, but I don't know where that'll go. Time will tell." She said simply. Squall rubbed the back of his neck, obviously distressed with the news. "Alright, thank-you." He said as he walked back to the lounge. "Oh, one thing Mr.Leonheart." She said as she stopped in the doorway. Squall stopped too and turned around. "Yeah?" He asked. "We've been thinking of trying out an experimental medical program, involved with memories. We need test subjects to finalize it though..." She trailed off. "When do you want them?" Squall asked.  
  
***  
  
Later that day, Rikku and Tidus were taken to the room where the equipment was. They were told that it was just a test to see if there were any complications that resulted from the events of that day. They couldn't know what was going on, simply because they would refuse. They both laid down on the medical tables without a word. I sure hope this works, Squall thought to himself. We're really gonna need them. One of the attendants took a small set of patches from the machine and hooked them up, 2 on Rikku's head, 2 on Tidus'. "This should be real quick, just relax and try to free your mind." He said. "You must go and explain it to them how you want their memories to form. They will listen to whatever you tell them to." The lead doctor explained. Squall nodded. "So it's kinda like hypnotism?" He conferred. The doctor nodded, and motioned towards them. They were now unconscious, seeming to be in a deep sleep. Squall walked out of the doctor's office, noticing that there wasn't any noise, except for the quiet humming of the machine. It was a chilling scene to him, but he brushed the thought away. He walked over to Rikku and leaned close to her. He opened his mouth, then paused, making sure that he had everything right. "Yuna died trying to destroy Sin. She was successful, and Sin died, making an Eternal Calm. You weren't in love with Tidus originally, but you fell in love with him after Yuna died because you felt sorry for him." He finished. He looked back at the doctor, and she nodded, and he walked over to Tidus and said the same, except suited for him. When he finished, he walked back over to the others who were watching nervously. "Well? Do you think it worked?" Squall asked as he turned to the doctor. She shook her head. "It's hard to say, we'll know when they wake up in a couple minutes. We're going to stay here and watch them and see if they react to each other." She said. Squall felt bad for them. Yuna had become a friend to all of them, and he hated to leave her behind like that, but they needed Rikku and Tidus at their best , and it couldn't be helped. "You must make sure that they never find out about their past, or else the results could be diastrous. We don't know for sure, but it's better to not find out." She explained. Everyone nodded in agreement. Just then, Tidus and Rikku woke up and sat up slowly. The others took a deep breath and waited in silence, hoping for the best.  
  
Author's Note: I know, I know, it's been a long time coming, I'm terribly sorry, but I've been very busy with school and work so I couldn't really help it. I'll try my hardest to get stuff out sooner now that midterms are over. 


	9. Chapter 8: Moving On

The Ace and The Lion Chapter 8: Moving On  
  
I thought that since I left you guys with such a horribly long wait I'd do a double post here to make up for it sorta.  
  
DISCLAIMER: All names and characters associated with Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VIII are property of Squaresoft.  
  
"Tidus? Are you ok?" Rikku asked. Tidus rubbed the back of his head and looked around. "Yeah, my head feels kinda funny though." He replied. She gave him a quick hug. "At least we're alright." She said. He nodded, and just then their friends walked in. "It's good to see you two." Quistis said. Zell nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, we thought you guys were goners when Yu--" Irvine slapped his hand over Zell's mouth and the others silently glared at him. "When you, uh, got hit by that spell Sudit threw at you." He lied. The others breathed a sigh of relief and made a mental note to kick Zell. Tidus nodded, not noticing the tension. "Well, I think we're all good here, so let's go back out!" He called out. Squall shook his head. "You need rest still. Leave it for today. We don't even know where he is at the moment, so it won't do you any good to get excited." He explained. Tidus lowered his hands disappointed. "Oh....ok then. Well, I'm gettin some sleep then." He walked off towards his room, with Rikku following behind. When they closed the door behind them, they could hear Zell screaming as everyone kicked him in the shin, quite hard.   
  
***  
  
When Tidus got to his room, he climbed into his bed. He reached out to put his sword beside the nightstand and noticed something strange. There were two guns laying on the nightstand. He picked up the guns and looked at them, trying to think of where he had seen them before. "I know I've seen these somewhere.....musta been a magazine or something." He said with a shrug as he put them back down. Rikku then walked into the room, seeming to walk sluggishly. She climbed into his bed and snuggled close to him. "I don't feel too good." She said. "It seems as if something's missing...." She trailed off. Tidus shrugged. "It's probably from that spell or whatever we got hit with, it'll probably wear off." She smiled and put her arm around him. "You're probably right. Let's get some sleeping done!" She exclaimed. Tidus cringed, and then laughed a little. "Uh....not like that." He said slowly. She giggled lightly and closed her eyes.  
  
***  
  
"I can't believe we just made them forget about her like that....someone they've spent so much time with!" Rinoa exclaimed as she paced back and forth in her and Squall's room. Squall sighed. "I know what you mean, but right now we have to worry about Sudit, maybe we can tell them later what happened, once this is all over with. Yuna ended up being a friend for all of us, and I hate to do it too, but we gotta consider what we're up against." He said. She frowned and sighed in frustration, knowing that he was right. "I know....but I don't have to like it." She said firmly. Squall smiled grimly. "I don't think anyone does....especially Zell." He added. Rinoa smiled slighlty, recalling the big bruise he got from everyone kicking him. "I hope we can go home soon." She said as she sat on the bed beside him. He nodded. "I know what you mean, I miss Balamb. Although I guess I could've used a vacation." He said optimistically. She raised an eyebrow at him. "You call this a vacation? I think when we get back we go for a real vacation, not this vacation in hell." She said harshly. Squall left it at that, knowing that she was angry. "Let's get some sleep, we got a big day tomorrow." He said as he slid under the covers. She looked at him for a second. "We're gonna start looking for Sudit again, right?" She asked. Squall nodded, and looked her seriously. "Yeah, but we also gotta tell Lulu and Wakka about what happened." He said grimly.   
  
***  
  
"WHAT?" Wakka yelled loudly. "That can't be true! It just can't be!" He pleaded with Squall. Squall shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry Wakka, but it is. Sudit did it to her." He explained sadly. Lulu sat on their couch, not speaking at all. She had a pained look on her face, although she was trying her best not to let it out. "Wakka, we're going with them now." She said finally. Wakka looked at her in surprise. "I know this is bad Lu, but I mean...." She quickly stood up and looked at him with a fiery glare. "I said we're going and that's final. I want to see that Sudit pays for this." She said as her eyes seemed to glow a darker red wth anger. Wakka quickly shut his mouth and agreed. Tears formed in his eyes, but he didn't start crying. "Alright, we'll go." He said. Squall nodded. "Ok, but I have to ask you guys not to mention any of this around Tidus or Rikku, because we've altered their minds so that they don't know what happened so that they don't go insane and become useless." He explained. This got another angry look out of Lulu, but Squall just shrugged. "I know, it's not good, but I can't help it right now, the whole world could be in danger if we don't stop him soon, and we need them to be in the best condition possible. I promise I'll try to get their memory back once it's all over." He said quickly. Lulu quickly stormed out of the house, carrying the baby in her arms, with Wakk trailing behind. Squall sighed and drooped his shoulders, and Rinoa patted him on the shoulder, comforting him. "They'll undertand, just give them time." She said. "This is big news for them." She consoled. He grunted. "Not just for them."  
  
***  
  
"Father! Come quickly! I think I've found Sudit!" Brother exclaimed in Al Bhed. "Just a sec kiddo!" Cid yelled back as he grabbed for the intercom microphone. "Listen up all of you, I need you all in the bridge right now, it's really important!" He called out. He ran over to Brother's seat and watched outiside. Although he couldn't see anything, he could hear the beeping of the scanner they had set up to find him. "He's heading towards the Calm Lands, I wonder what he's doing there?" He asked. They all came rushing through the door, with Zell and Irvine tripping over each other. "Get off me you stupid horny cowboy!" Zell called out from underneat Irvine. "Oh, quit your whining ya hotdog shoving queer." He shot back. "Will you two just get up and shut up already!" Quistis shouted at them. They both pouted and got up quickly. "Yes, ma'am." Tidus and Rikku came in last, both seeming to be half asleep. "What's going on pops?" Rikku called out. Cid looked at the two of them together, half-smiling, even though he knew their relationship was at the cost of Yuna's life. "We've tracked down Sudit, and he's headin for the Calm Lands. We dunno why though." He explained. Tidus walked to the front of the group. "Who cares why! Let's just go get him!" He exclaimed. Cid sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's not that simple kid, we wanna try to surprise him a little, get the advantage, ya know?" He tried to explain. Tidus seemed to have no concept of surprise attacking. He shrugged and pretended that he understood. "What I've proposed is that we get some Chocobos set up for us right at the entrance of the Calm Lands and we land the ship in a secluded spot and then take the Chocobos to close by, surround him, and get him." He explained. Everyone nodded except Squall. "How're we supposed to get those Chocobos set up?" He asked. Cid smiled and walked over to him and poked him in the chest with his finger. "YOU will be parachuting from here to the ground, since you have the best eye for scouting, to make sure he's not around so we can land. If it's clear, take this mirror I'm gonna give ya and use it to reflect sunlight so we can see ya." He said as he passed the mirror to Squall. He looked at everyone else with an overwhelming look. He sighed and grabbed a parachute. "Alright, I guess I'm ready to go." He said as he checked to make sure the Lionheart was secured to his back firmly and wouldn't interfere with his parachute. Squall ran to the other side of the ship where the cargo bay was. Cid turned on the view screen of the back and turned on the intercom. "Ready Squall?" He asked. Squall gave a thumbs up for the camera and jumped out. Everyone ran over to the deck to see where he landed. Squall touched down shortly after and ran towards the Chocobo lady. As he ran towards her, they could see something moving quickly towards the bridge to Gagazet.  
  
***  
  
Sudit ran quickly over the bridge, realizing that something wasn't right. He knew that someone was following him somewhere, and he had to hurry. He hurried over the bridge and headed for the Cavern of Stolen Fayth, hoping that the Yojimbo fayth was still there. As he searched the cave, he stumbled across the stolen fayth and grinned evilly. He knew that all of the fayths had ended up being stored here, but decided that he would only need one. He raised his arms towards the fayth and started drawing the energy from it....  
  
***  
  
Squall retrieved the chocobos and signalled with the mirror. The ship quickly made it's way towards the ground, and landed shortly after. The heroes all boarded a Chocobo and started planning. "Cid says he saw him heading towards Gagazet, so we should go check out that way." Quistis said. "What about the Cavern of Stolen Fayth?" Wakka asked. Tidus shook his head. "He has no reason to go in there, we should go to Gagazet. We had better hurry in case Kimahri is in danger." He added. They all nodded agreement and headed towards the mountains.  
  
***  
  
They eventually passed the bridges, and didn't notice when a black figure followed them shortly behind. As they reached the road to Gagazet, the figure struck out, cutting off a Chocobo's leg, causing Squall to tumble to the ground. "Who's there?" He called out. The figure struck out again, but got blocked by Squall, who was defending on instinct. The others came around the corner and noticed that Squall was fighting with thin air it seemed. Just as they pulled up, Sudit appeared. "Well, if it isn't the 'heroes' as everyone's calling you." Sudit said sarcastically. Tidus pulled out the Caladbolg and looked at him. "I got a score to settle with you!" He yelled as he pointed the sword at him. Sudit looked at him in shock. "What's this? You're still alive? Yuna couldn't get the job done, could she?" He said as he shook his head. Tidus shook his head. "You're wrong, Yuna died a long time ago trying to save this land and bring peace to it, and I'm gonna make sure that it stays that way." He said defiantley. Sudit stood and laughed so hard he clutched his sides, causing the others to grow cautious of him even more. "You are quite a fool, what have these people been giving you for drugs? They all know that's not what happened." He mocked. Squall decided that this could be disastrous judging by the confused look and Rikku and Tidus' faces.  
  
***  
  
Squall decided that he needed some kind of distraction. He swung at Sudit to force him to back away, and he did just that. "My, how eager we all are to die it seems. I'll take you first then, if you so wish." He said simply. "I'll demonstrate some of my new powers, thanks to the aeon Yojimbo." He said as he waved his arms and caused everyone to freeze in place except for Squall and Tidus. "Now you can watch them die!" He yelled in glee as the others tried to squirm free of the spell. He pulled out a double sword and attacked Tidus and Squall, who both dodged the attacks and came back with their own. He blocked the attacks and knocked them away, forcing Squall and Tidus to both roll away. They battled on and on, until finally Sudit swung his sword at Squall, and got it stuck in the ground. Tidus then swung and knocked the other sword out of his hand, leaving him with nothing. They both grinned, sure that victory was at hand. Sudit looked shocked. "Well, I guess this is the end then, so you might as well finish me off." He said as he stood, waiting for the blow. He knelt down on the ground and waited for Squall to come over to him. Squall raised the sword above his head and brought it down on Sudit's....but it went right through. Squall looked at Sudit in shock as he reached over and tripped Squall, who hit his head on a rock and got knocked unconscious.  
  
***  
  
Sudit stood up laughing and started hovering in the air. "What will you do now? With Yojimbo's energy fused with my own, how will you stop me?" He sneered at Tidus, who showed a little fear now. Sudit motioned with his arm and one sword flew back to him. "Care to try again, Tidus?" He mocked. Tidus nodded. "You damn rights I will. I'll find a way!" He called out as he charged at Sudit, who easily blocked the attack. Tidus and Sudit battled on, with nobody really gaining the upper hand. Tidus finally decided that it was now or never, and pulled off his Blitz Ace. He charged at Sudit, and slashed him a couple times, leaving him stunned and cut up a little. He planted his sword in the ground, ran over and grabbed Wakka's ball and then leaped off the sword. He threw it up as he jumped, and executed a perfect Sphere Shot, hitting Sudit right in the forehead. Sudit screamed and went flying across the other side, landing a little ways away. He sat up slowly, dazed and bleeding. "You....actually hurt me....but how?" He asked aloud. Tidus smirked at him. "We're the same, Sudit, every time you get stronger, so do I. It took me awhile to figure out, but it's true." He said. Just as Sudit got up the spell cancelled and everyone was unfrozen. Sudit looked at him, breathing hard. "I will destroy you, you bastard. You will die by my hand!" He threatened as he flew away.  
  
Author's Note: There you have it, another chapter, and hopefully something to keep you all entertained for awhile. 


	10. Chapter 9: The beginning

The Ace and The Lion Chapter 9: The beginning....  
  
DISCLAIMER: All names and characters associated with Final Fantasy VIII and X belong to SquareSoft.  
  
The others stood there in shock at what they had just witnessed. Tidus seemed to have easily shook up Sudit, where the others had failed. "Wow.... That was awesome!" Zell exclaimed as he slapped Tidus on the back. Tidus stumbled forward a bit, still dazed from the whole incident. "Yeah that was real cool!" Irvine chipped in, as he tipped his hat to him. Tidus rubbed the back of his head. "Uh...yeah, thanks guys...." He trailed off. "We actually have something that we can use against him, maybe things are lookin up, ya?" Wakka said. Squall shrugged. "Maybe, but you're on your own, you know." He said bluntly. Tidus nodded. "Yeah, you guys won't be able to do too much to him. I guess it's up to me." He confirmed. "We'll still come with you, we can at least protect you and get you there!" She exclaimed. Tidus nodded. "Yeah, if we can keep the pressure on him, then he's sure to give in eventually. We can find out what went wrong with him, and maybe we can get him back." He said optimistically. Everyone looked around at each other, not knowing if that's what they actually wanted. If only Tidus knew, he would think differently, Rinoa thought to herself. "Well, I'm pretty drained from that one, I'm gonna need a nap big time." Tidus streteched and yawned as he walked off towards the airship. Everyone stood and watched him go. When he noticed and turned around to look at them, they all started walking. He shook his head and walked off.  
  
***  
  
"I can't believe this!" Sudit roared in anger as he threw some of his stuff around in his hideout. "Damn him! Why didn't I just finish off the rest of them?" He asked himself furiously. "He wouldn't have any will left to fight!" He paced back and forth furiously. "I need to go take the rest of the Aeons....but how will I do that without making him stronger?" He pondered. "Unless there's a delay between when I get stronger and he does....Wait a second." He had a great thought and left immediately.  
  
***  
  
The Airship remained parked in the Calm Lands, as they were all worried that Sudit would come back soon, looking to get the rest of the Aeons. Tidus was laying on his bed relaxing after the toll the battle had on him. Rikku laid beside him, both just looking at the ceiling for no particular reason. "Rikku?" He said softly, breaking the silence. She turned and looked at him. "Yeah?" She replied. "I need you to promise me that you and the others will stay away from him if he comes here. You'll only get yourselves hurt." He said seriously. Rikku shook her head in disagreement. "No, I'm not gonna promise you that, we'll find some way to help you, maybe we can distract him or something!" She protested. Tidus sighed and touched her arm lightly. "Listen, I know you want to help me, and I know you're concerned, but there's no sense in risking the rest of you guys too. I want you to have some kind of other plan too, in case I don't make it." He said grimly. Rikku looked at him in worry. "Why wouldn't you make it?" She asked with fear in her eyes. He looked at her deeply before he answered. "Because I'm afraid that he's going to get too strong for me to handle before I take it too. I don't think he'll fall for the same tricks twice." He said. He quickly sat up. "I need to go practice. I'll be out in the Calm Lands." He said as he bent over to kiss her on the forehead. "If anything happens, I'll yell." He said as he walked out. "I love you!" She called out. Tidus stopped and sighed. "I love you too!" He called back.  
  
***  
  
Squall was standing out on the deck, watching the Chocobo lady leading some kids around the Calm Lands on Chocobos, probably teaching them how to ride. "So, I guess the great commander never stops thinking, does he?" A female voice said from behind him. Squall turned around and saw Quistis there. "Yeah, you could say that." He muttered. She smiled briefly and walked up beside him. At this same time, Tidus was walking out of the ship, towards the Monster Arena. "You're trying to think of a way to help him out aren't you?" She asked, seemingly reading his mind. He nodded. "Yeah, am I that easy to read?" He asked honestly. She smiled and nodded. "I can see why Rinoa has you wrapped around her finger." Squall rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He responded in his usual fashion. "Seriously though, I feel bad that he has to face that....thing all by himself. It's not fair, we're all capable fighters here too, we should be able to help him." He with a frustrated tone. She nodded. "Yeah, but maybe we're just missing something that he's got." She stated. Squall raised an eyebrow at her. "What's that?" He asked. "Natural talents for the unusual things, not like using swords and magic." She said. "You mean like supernatural sort of?" He asked. She just nodded again. "But we're from the same world as he is, how is that possible?" He wondered. "Maybe it has something to do with your Uncle Jecht, I heard he was a gifted man too." She said. Squall snorted. "Yeah a gifted drunk." He said sarcastically. "He's pretty well liked around here, you know." She said. He shrugged. "Whatever." He said again. "Maybe you're right though. I guess we're going to have to just let things happen as they happen..." He trailed off, "...and hope for the best." She finished.  
  
***  
  
Tidus took another swing at the Chimerageist, lobbing off one of it's heads. He imagined that each head was a sneering Sudit, looking to bite him and kill him at any moment. Not only did this make him angry, it seemed to get his adrenaline pumping faster, at the sight of his hated rival's face. The Chimerageist lunged out at him, trying to bite him, but Tidus did a blackflip and got away from it. He landed and charged forward at it, slashing that head off too, leaving only two. He then decided to finish it off and did his famous Slice and Dice maneuver, and with a blinding burst of speed, he lobbed off the last two heads, and the Chimeragiest crumpled to the ground. Tidus stood there breathing heavily from the workout. The Monster Arena owner was watching him all along, and was actually clapping his hands. "That was quite a show kiddo. I should start chargin for people to see you fight!" He exclaimed. Tidus grinned wearily. "Maybe....once this whole Sudit business is over." He added. The owner just smiled. "Good luck kiddo, it's all in your hands." He said encouragingly. Tidus nodded and waved as he left. All in my hands, he thought. Isn't that just wonderful.  
  
***  
  
"Whoa....so much power....and it's all mine." Sudit said awestruck as he studied his hands, feeling the power surging through them. "Spira will be mine and the cycle of death will continue as it should!" He said gleefullly. "Time to send Tidus to hell, and take his place as the greatest warrior ever!" He laughed as he flew out of the Cavern of Stolen Fayth. He soared overhead, and noticed Tidus walking across the valley to the airship. This was his big chance, and he decided that he would take it. He hovered and concentrated his energies on his hands. His whole body glowed a blood red, and he screamed in rage as the powers surged through his body. He then plummeted towards Tidus on the ground.  
  
***  
  
"Damnit, maybe I shoulda taken it easier." Tidus said tiredly as he walked across the plains towards the ship. "Never know when Sudit is gonna strike." He said. ---Why do we always have to fight?----- a voice echoed in his head. Tidus stopped and thought for a moment. Where have I heard that voice before? He asked himself. He looked up to shake his head, but noticed a bright red ball coming right at him. His mouth gaped open and he dove to the side, just in time as the ball of energy went right through the ground, leaving a smoking crater in its place. He slowly got up, pulled out the Caladbolg and moved towards the hole. When he peered over to look in, Sudit leapt out and tackeld him to the ground, sending the sword flying. "Hello, Tidus. Have you noticed my new powers yet?" He asked politely. "They're really quite something aren't they? Too bad you won't live long enough to enjoy the same ones." He added, almost remorsefully. "Shut up, I'll never let you take over this world, even if it means my death." Tidus said, determined. Sudit smiled at this. "Oh, don't get me wrong, there never really was a question of whether you'd die or not." He explained as he picked Tidus up. He held him over his head and laughed. "Time to say goodbye, Tidus!" He yelled as he turned to face the cliffside. However, just as he went to throw Tidus, he wriggled out of his grip and landed behind Sudit on his feet. He put his foot on Sudit's back and shoved him into the crater. He yelled and fell back into the crater. Tidus knew that he only had a chance if he could wait long enough for the powers to kick in, although he didn't know how long that would take. He bolted towards the Airship, waving his arms frantically.  
  
***  
  
"Oh no, I saw Sudit over there. We better get outta here!" Squall said quickly as he ran onto the bridge, with Quistis right behind. "Get the ship going, we gotta get outta here!" He called out as he made it there. The operators quickly scrambled to their positions, getting everything going. "I gotta go out there and stall him for Tidus!" Rikku said as she headed for the way out. Squall shook his head and grabbed her arm. "You can't it's too dangerous!" He protested. She shook off arm and took off. "I'll go with her." Zell said quickly, as he turned to chase her. Irvine nodded. "I'll help them, it's probably better to take him on from afar." He added. Squall put a hand over his forehead, as he knew that it was very risky for them to go out. Rinoa suddenly came onto the bridge. "What's going on? Why are we leaving?" She said with a hint of worry. "We spotted Sudit, it looks like he's stronger. We're getting ready for when Tidus comes." He said quickly. She looked at him in shock. "And we're just gonna stand here and wait while he's in danger out there?" She asked surprised. He shrugged. "I don't really think we can afford to risk that many lives out there." He said. She rolled her eyes at him, obviously angry with him. "Cut out the commander stuff, we gotta go out there. I'm going anyway." She said as she went back out the door. Squall put out a hand to stop her, but lowered it and conceded defeat as Qustis walked out the door too. Squall sighed and followed them.  
  
Author's Note: Big battle coming up, get ready! 


	11. Chapter 10: of the end

The Ace and the Lion Chapter 10: ...of the end  
  
DISCLAIMER: All names and characters associated with Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X belong to SquareSoft.  
  
Sudit crawled out of the whole, watching with a grin as Tidus scrambled towards the airship. He knew that Tidus was going to be finished, and decided to savour this moment. He leapt into the air and prepared to swoop down on him, when he saw the rest of his friends come out of the ship. He stopped and laughed as Tidus collapsed in front of them. Rikku knelt beside him, gently stroking his face. "So, I see yo've all decided to die at once, hmm?" Sudit asked. "Go to hell, Sudit." Squall said angrily. Sudit shrugged. "Oh, I know I'll be there eventually, but I plan to send you there first." He confirmed. "No....you won't." Tidus said tiredly as he wobbled to his feet. "Just wait Tidus, I'm saving you for last." He said with a cocky tone. "Now get out of the way so I can waste your friends." Tidus shook his head. "If you want them, you'll have to take me first." He said confidently. He suddenly felt deep down inside that something was going on. ---I love you--- that mysterious voice said again. "Rikku, I'll save you if you come back to me." Sudit told her. She shook her head. "Forget it, I'll never forgive you." She said firmly. Sudit shrugged. "Fine, I'll just force some other girl to be my love slave." He said without worry. Suddenly something was clicking in Tidus' head. That voice....I'm sure I know who that is, he thought. "Well, goodbye Tidus, it certainly wasn't nice knowing you." Sudit said at that moment as he blasted Tidus, sending him flying across the plains. The people that were standing there watched in terror as he went flying across. ---I love you---- the voice said, a little louder in Tidus' head. He wracked his mind, hoping to at least figure it out before he died. He was hit extremely hard, and he knew that as soon as he hit the ground, the impact would certainly finish off the weak life he had left in him. He was in enourmous pain, but he continued to think. "Now I can kill the rest of you just like I killed Yuna!" Sudit cackeld as he looked at their fear. Suddenly, the gears turned in Tidus' head. Yuna....I know that name....I....love that name...."YUNA!" He called out, as he suddenly stopped flying backwards.  
  
***  
  
Sudit turned to face him, a smile still on his face. It faded when he saw him there. He shook his head, knowing full well what had happened. Tidus soared over to him, landing beside Rikku. "I know the truth now, Yuna never died defeating Sin, she died because of YOU!" he pointed his finger at Sudit. Sudit laughed lightly and nodded. "Guilty as charged." He said in an uncaring tone. Rikku stood in disbelief for a second, but nods from her friends confirmed it, and she too was lost in her thoughts for a moment, but finally conceded that it was the truth. "You're right....she never did die from Sin....she beat him like she always said she would." She confirmed. Tidus grinned. "I think maybe it's time I sent you to hell, for Yuna!" He said as he swung his fist at Sudit.  
  
He hit him square in the jaw, sending him skidding across the plains of the Calm Lands. He rolled and flipped onto his feet. "Damnit, this is gonna be harder than I thought. No matter, I can still beat you." He said confidently. He zoomed over to Tidus and grabbed him as he flew. The others watched helpelessly as he got carried off by Sudit. Tidus squirmed free and kicked him in the chest. He tumbled in midair, and Tidus grabbed him, throwing him into the cliffside. A huge rumble was heard, and Sudit went right through it, leaving a huge hole in his wake. Tidus pulled out his sword and landed on the ground waiting. Sudit stumbled out of the hole and landed on the ground too. "No more games! I'm settling this a more traditional way!" Tidus yelled. Sudit nodded, a look of fear and anger mixed on his face. He pulled out a sword too and the two began to clash. The two swung at each other, either blocking or dodging each attack. The swords locked on each other. Sudit pulled his sword free and kicked Tidus in the stomach, causing him to double over. Sudit raised his sword to deliver the killing blow, but was knocked down when Tidus tackled him. Tidus sat on top of him and pummled his face with punches that were amplified because of his discovered powers. Sudit struggled and put his hand on Tidus chest, and knocked him back with a strong blast. Tidus went flying and landed on top of the Airship, without his sword. Sudit rose from the ground, blood streaming out of his nose, and leapt on top of the Ship, knowing that Tidus was weaponless. "Now what're you gonna do, Tidus? I told you I could still beat you, didn't I?" He smirked. Tidus just shrugged. "It's not over yet."  
  
He put his hand out and the sword suddenly lifted off the ground and came flying at him. Sudit saw it out of the corner of his eye and leaped to avoid it, but it caught him on the bottom of his right foot, causing him to wobble and fall on his back. He laid there for a second, but rolled to dodge the stab from Tidus. He quickly rose to his feet and wiped a bit of blood off his face. Sudit quickly stabbed forward with his sword in a flash, each stab being parried by Tidus, who was watchin intently, but one did manage to get by and strike him on the arm. It cut open a little bit of his blitzball uniform and bled a little, but it distracted him for a second. Sudit took this opportunity to slash him across his chest, a large slash wound appearing. However, he seemed to just nick him as Tidus stumbled backwards, wobbling on the edge of the deck. Sudit then stabbed again, this time putting the sword through his stomach. Tidus looked out in surprise, as he saw Sudit grinning evilly, blood covering his face. "See you in hell, PAL!" He laughed as Tidus fell off the Airship, knowing that he had lost, and Spira was doomed.  
  
Author's Note: Well, they finally figured out what happened to Yuna, but it seems to be too late....or is it? Time will tell :) 


End file.
